CrashCourse Literature¶
CrashCourse Literature is a YouTube playlist hosted by John Green that offers short, engaging analytical episodes on major literary works taught in high school English classrooms. Each episode focuses on what a text means — its themes, structure, character, and argument — rather than simply summarizing the plot.
In this class, CrashCourse Literature pages work alongside the Reading Library entries. The Reading Library holds full text context, standards alignment, and annotation guides. The CC Lit pages here give you a focused starting point: watch the episode, answer the Watch Prompt, then go deeper with the Reading Library entry and your skinny pages.
How to use these pages:
- Watch the linked CrashCourse episode using the YouTube search phrase provided.
- Complete the Watch Prompt in your notes before moving on.
- Check the Skinny Connection links to see how the text maps to ELA and Social Studies standards.
- If you're starting a Studio project, read the Studio Ideas section for concrete deliverable options.
Works in This Playlist¶
| Title | Author | ELA Standard | SS Connection | CC Lit Page | Reading Library |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Odyssey | Homer | R.8 | WH.6_12.3 Era 1 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Oedipus Rex | Sophocles | R.8 | WH.6_12.3 Era 1 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Romeo and Juliet | Shakespeare | R.8 | WH.6_12.3 Era 2 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Julius Caesar | Shakespeare | R.9 + R.8 | WH.6_12.3 + WH.6_12.5 Era 1 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Hamlet | Shakespeare | R.8 | WH.6_12.3 Era 2 | Episode page | Full entry |
| The Great Gatsby | Fitzgerald | R.8 | USH Unit 2 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Lord of the Flies | Golding | R.8 | WH.6_12.3 Era 4 / USH Unit 4 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Their Eyes Were Watching God | Hurston | R.8 | USH Unit 2 | Episode page | Full entry |
| A Raisin in the Sun | Hansberry | R.8 | USH Unit 6 | Episode page | Full entry |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | Lee | R.8 | USH Unit 6 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Fahrenheit 451 | Bradbury | R.8 | USH Unit 5 | Episode page | Full entry |
| 1984 | Orwell | R.8 | USH Unit 5 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Things Fall Apart | Achebe | R.8 | WH.6_12.5 Era 3 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Slaughterhouse-Five | Vonnegut | R.8 | USH Unit 4 / WH Era 4 | Episode page | Full entry |
| I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | Angelou | R.8 | USH Unit 5-6 | Episode page | Full entry |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Atwood | R.8 | USH Unit 9 | Episode page | Full entry |
| The Kite Runner | Hosseini | R.8 | USH Unit 9 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Beloved | Morrison | R.8 | USH Unit 1 | Episode page | Full entry |
| Moby Dick | Melville | R.8 + R.9 | USH Unit 1 | Episode page | Full entry |
Section created: 2026-06-16 · Status: stubs · Transcripts: pending